TY  - JOUR
A1  - Wersebeckmann, Vera
A1  - Biegerl, Carolin
A1  - Leyer, Ilona
A1  - Mody, Karsten
T1  - Orthopteran diversity in steep slope vineyards: the role of vineyard type and vegetation management
JF  - Insects
N2  - The abandonment of traditional agricultural practices and subsequent succession are major threats to many open-adapted species and species-rich ecosystems. Viticulture on steep slopes has recently suffered from strong declines due to insufficient profitability, thus increasing the area of fallow land considerably. Changing cultivation systems from vertically oriented to modern vineyard terraces offers an opportunity to maintain management economically viable and thus reduces further abandonment. Hillside parallel terraces favor mechanization, and their embankments offer large undisturbed areas that could provide valuable habitats. We investigated the effects of vineyard abandonment, different vineyard management types (vertically oriented vs. terraced), and local parameters on Orthoptera diversity in 45 study sites along the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany. Our results show that woody structures and vineyard abandonment reduced Orthoptera diversity at the local and landscape scale due to decreased habitat quality, especially for open-adapted species. In contrast, open inter-rows of actively managed vineyard types supported heat-adapted Caelifera species. On terrace embankments, extensive management and taller vegetation benefited Ensifera species, while short and mulched vegetation in vertically oriented vineyards favored the dominance of one single Caelifera species. Our results highlight the significance of maintaining viticultural management on steep slopes for the preservation of both open-adapted Orthoptera species and the cultural landscape.
KW  - abandonment
KW  - alternating management
KW  - biodiversity conservation
KW  - grasshopper
KW  - insect conservation
KW  - succession
KW  - traditional land use
KW  - vineyard terrace
Y1  - 2023
U6  - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304891
SN  - 2075-4450
VL  - 14
IS  - 1
ER  -